After weeks of physicians dismissing her worries, a mother is speaking out about the horrifying moment she discovered her baby girl required a heart transplant.
Sloane was born in October 2024 to Stephanie Mulhall-Atkinson, 37, and her spouse, Justin Atkinson, 33. Stephanie knew something wasn’t right from the beginning.
In an interview with The Daily Mail, she recalled that she was making this strange, grunting sound. During our five-day hospital stay following her birth, we discussed it with a number of physicians and nurses, including the pediatrician. Everyone assured us that she was just a talkative baby and that her lungs sounded clear.
However, she was never comfortable with that explanation.
After seeing a slight bluish tint around Sloane’s mouth approximately six weeks later, Stephanie and Justin hurried her to the emergency department. At that point, medical professionals finally looked more closely, and the results were swift and deadly.
We were questioned about whether she had always made that noise. They warned us it wasn’t normal at all when we said yes. According to Stephanie, it was an indication of distress.
The situation rapidly became more intense. The couple was told by the physicians during an echocardiography that Sloane’s heart was hardly beating. She was taken to the pediatric intensive care unit right away, sedated, and intubated.
The diagnosis is dilated cardiomyopathy, a dangerous cardiac disorder brought on by a genetic mutation that impairs the heart’s ability to pump blood effectively. Sloane was suffering from advanced heart failure by that point.
Stephanie said, “Those first few days were indescribable.” It was a surreal sensation to learn that your child requires a heart transplant. You really can’t understand it.
In retrospect, Stephanie acknowledged that recognizing that Sloane had probably been in distress for weeks had been one of the most difficult aspects.
We found those tiny noises endearing. She claimed that we were unaware of her difficulties. I’m still getting used to living with that guilt.
As she waits for a donor heart, baby Sloane is still in the hospital today on a life support machine. She has spent more than half a year there.
Stephanie, who started a GoFundMe account to help the family, called the last seven months a living hell but also a period of optimism and incredible generosity.
In just a few hours, Stephanie writes, she transitioned from being a contented, smiling baby to being intubated. However, it was pure mother’s instinct that sent us to the hospital that day. I simply sensed something wasn’t right.
The family is currently holding onto hope that Sloane will receive a transplant and that her narrative will finish happily.
Stephanie stated that the only way out of this situation is via hope. I’m confident she’ll be alright. She will have a long, lovely, and meaningful life. This is not the conclusion of her narrative; it is only the beginning.
The GoFundMe has raised over $25,000 of its $36,500 target as of Saturday, July 26.
